One-all and all to play for at Pallekele

Sri Lanka batting coach Thilina Kandamby has a word with Sadeera Samarawickrama during practice at Pallekele

• SL v BD third and final ODI today

By losing the second ODI, Sri Lanka has brought undue pressure on themselves to win the third and final ODI at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium against Bangladesh today to take the three-match series which currently stands at one-all.

Bangladesh has not won an ODI series in Sri Lanka and following their win in the second ODI will fancy their chances. It was poor batting on the part of Sri Lanka that left the door ajar for Bangladesh to creep in. Following Sri Lanka’s 77-run win in the first ODI, Bangladesh won the second by 16 runs.

“We are not putting pressure on ourselves by thinking of the series. We are looking at the processes. We know we are on the good side. We have to follow the process and if we do that, I don’t think the opposition can match us,” said Sri Lanka team batting coach Thilina Kandamby at the pre-match media conference.

“This looks like a good batting pitch compared to Colombo. Pallekele looks good for batting. I think there will be a good bounce as well. The last 12 months this pitch has produced a lot of runs. I hope it will continue to be the same. We chatted about the last game. Bangladesh bowled well in the middle overs, all three of their spinners. We chatted about what we need to do to get over that period. We will train focusing on those aspects. I hope we will fight hard and put up a good show.”

Sri Lanka will certainly need to come up with something big especially batsmen who have got themselves in. Referring to Kusal Mendis’ swashbuckling half-century, Kandamby said, “He gave us a cracking start. He scored a half-century in 20 balls. He is an experienced player and he has played a lot of cricket. He has to understand that and he needs to convert those starts into hundreds. If he scores a hundred, we win 90 to 95% of games. He knows that too. It is also in his hand. When you are in such good form, it’s a crime to throw away your wicket. He could have easily gone on to score 150 to 200 runs. We chatted about how to rotate the strike and other crucial aspects of batting.”

Sri Lanka are unlikely to change their batting but in the bowling there could be a change.

“We chatted about the bowling combination. We will decide with selectors, captain and coach. Only one option we have when it comes to bowling combinations. We can bring in Milan (Rathnayake) for (Dunith) Wellalage. If you are choosing the side of opposition, yes, we can have one more pacie. But all our players have done well. Even in the first game it was tough to leave Dunith out. But we had to adjust to conditions. Here too we have to adjust according to conditions.”

Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain sounded confident that this was a great chance for his team to clinch the series for the first time in Sri Lanka.

“This is a big chance for us. If we win the match tomorrow, it will be a great series win. Everyone is feeling confident. After the win in the last match, the confidence has been building among us, so we will try our best to win tomorrow,” said Parvez.

“If we score runs early and consistently, it will be easier for the team to do well. We have to assess the conditions first and play accordingly. I didn’t bat long in the last match. I was feeling guilty after getting out because I was set and the wicket was beautiful. I could have scored a hundred that day, and I felt bad about it. If we get set, we need to play long innings.” 

Tickets for 3rd ODI and T20I

The public can obtain tickets for the third ODI and the first T20I of the Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka, both matches to be played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, through the following methods:

Online: 

nVisit www.srilankacricket.lk to purchase tickets online.

Ticket counters:

• Vidya Mawatha (SSC Ground), Colombo
• Media Centre, PICS, Pallekele (Non-Match Days)*
• Abeetha Ground, Balagolla (Match Days)*

Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Kusal Mendis should understand to convert the starts into hundreds says Kandamby

Parvaz Hossain rues missing out on a hundred in the 2nd ODI